From writing songs with her dad across the world to hearing her Irish accent reflected in her music, Genevieve Scullion shares the stories behind her debut original album, While You’re Away.

When I started writing songs with my dad, I never imagined they would eventually become an album released for other people to hear. Most of the songs on While You’re Away were written while I was living in Melbourne, Australia, with Dad sending me lyrics from home in Tyrone and me working on melodies from the other side of the world.

What began as a way for us to keep in touch gradually grew into a collection of ten original songs. My brother, who was working as a music producer in São Paulo, Brazil, later helped bring the recordings together.

The album was originally something Dad and I wanted to have for ourselves, so releasing it independently has made the whole experience particularly special. Alongside working full time and raising a young family, I was able to use my background in graphic and web design to take care of much of the visual identity and marketing too.

“Keep on writing”

Before I moved to Australia, I sang one of my own songs, With You, for my family at my leaving party. Mum filled my goodbye card with messages of encouragement, including “Keep on singing”. Dad added beside it, “Keep on writing”.

At the time, I didn’t realise how fitting those words would become. Writing songs gave Dad and me something of our own to work on while I was away. We exchanged lyrics, melodies and ideas through emails and WhatsApp, making changes as we went along.

Most of the time, the melodies came naturally to me when I read Dad’s lyrics. Often, what I came up with was very close to the finished song, with just a few changes to the words or tempo before everything fell into place.

It was a lovely way to stay connected. When we rang home, Dad would often answer the phone and say, “Here’s your mum,” because he knew she was the one with all the news and stories we wanted to hear. Having the music meant Dad and I had something more than just passing the phone over to the next voice. We had our own conversations, ideas and songs to share.

Ten songs, ten personal stories

While You’re Away brings together songs about family, love, loss, weddings and memories from different stages of life. Many have a very specific story behind them.

Hand In Hand was written for my sister’s wedding and celebrates the commitment of building a life together. I released it as a single on my own second wedding anniversary. The Child We Knew came from my brother’s serious illness and recovery, while The Lullaby is a song Dad used to sing to me and my siblings.

Other songs are connected to family members and memories that have stayed with me. My Little One was written for my twin, and Fisherman’s Lore draws on a story about my granda that was passed down through Dad and his siblings.

Then there’s It Won’t Be Long, which began with a rather unusual moment in Australia. My salt lamp started leaking, and Dad joked that it was crying because I was away from home. That small idea became the starting point for a song.

One of the things I love most about songwriting is that, although a song might begin with a very specific person or experience, it can mean something entirely different to someone listening. I don’t always want to explain every detail behind the lyrics. People can bring their own memories and experiences to the music, and when a song makes someone feel something strongly, I think that’s a very special thing.

A sound shaped by home and distance

I’d describe the album as easy-listening acoustic music, with folk, country and singer-songwriter influences. I wanted the songs to feel natural and honest, with a mixture of emotions that might leave people feeling comforted or uplifted.

Living abroad also made me more aware of the Irishness in my voice. People often comment that they can hear my accent when I sing, whether I’m performing covers or my own songs, and I love that. I’m proud to be Irish, and I think it’s lovely if my voice makes someone think of Ireland.

I don’t consciously write for an Irish audience, though. I write about the people, memories and experiences that matter to me, and those things can resonate with listeners anywhere. My own family is spread across different countries, and it feels fitting that an album written between Ireland and Australia, with production help from Brazil, is now being heard in different parts of the world.

The recording process was also important to me. I recorded my guitar and vocals together, performing each song from beginning to end in one take rather than piecing together different performances. The harmonies and additional parts were built around those recordings, keeping the original performance at the heart of each song. I also play guitar in a traditional tuning rather than standard tuning, which contributes to the character of the sound.

From radio support to the next chapter

It has been lovely to see the songs find their way to new listeners. Hand In Hand was selected for Clare FM’s Irish Artist of the Week feature, and A Walk In Your Shoes was chosen for BBC Radio Ulster’s Where Music Matters playlist in July 2026. The latter also led to an invitation to perform for BBC Radio Ulster close to the album’s release.

There are already more lyrics from Dad waiting to be turned into songs, so a second album is in the works. I’d like to keep exploring the acoustic and folk side of my music while holding on to the simplicity and honesty that matter so much to me.

For now, I’m looking forward to seeing how people connect with While You’re Away. These songs began as something personal between Dad and me. Having the opportunity to share them with others has been an unexpected bonus, and I’m grateful to everyone who has listened, shared the music or helped it reach a new audience.

Listen to While You’re Away

The album is available now on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

 

Find out more at genevievescullion.com or follow @genevievesound on social media.

Genevieve was recently interviewed by the Belfast Telegraph about the stories behind her debut album, songwriting with her dad and how living abroad shaped her connection to Irish music.